Electrical regulator.



A. A. TIRRILLJ ELECTRICAL REGULATOR.

APPLICATION FILED oops, 19H.

Patented July 20, 1915.

w ATTORNEY on rrnn srarns PATENT OFFICE.

ALLEN A. TIRRILL, 0F PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T0 WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC & MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

ELECTRICAL REGULATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 20, 1915.

Application filed October 5, 1911. Serial No. 653,011.

T all 1071 am it may concern Be it known that I, ALLEN A. TIRRILL, a citizen of-the United States, and a. resident of Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsyl ania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Electrical which is asimilar view of a system embodying a modification of the invention.

A system in connection with which the present invention may be conveniently employed comprises a generator having its armature 1 connected to a suitable distributing circuit 234: and its field magnet winding 5 supplied withexciting current from the armature 6 of an excit'er. The eXciter is provided with a field magnet winding 7 that is preferably shunt excited, though it may be supplied with exciting current from any other suitable source, and in series therewith is a. resistor S'that is adapted tobe shunted by means of cooperating contact members 9 and 10 of a relay 11 constituting part of the regulator.

The regulator comprises, further. another pair of cooperating contact members 12 and 13, that control the circuit of an actuating winding 14; of the relay 1 1, and also the circuit of an actuating winding 15 of another relay 16 having cooperating contact members 17 and 18. The movements of the member 18 are preferably, though not necessarily, somewhat retarded by a dash pot 18%. The contact terminals 17 and 18 are respectively connected to the terminals of a resistor 19 that is included in the field circuit of the main generator, the resistance of the said resistor being such that, by the establishment and interruption of a shunt circuit thereto by the contact terminals 17 and 18, only a slight percentage of change of the voltage of the main generator will be effected.

In practice, it will preferably be adjusted to eifect a change of from one-half of one per cent. to two per cent. in the said voltage. The contact terminal 13 is carried by a lever 21 having an actuating winding 22 that is supplied with energy from the distributing circuit 2-34, a spring 23 being employed for causing the mcmber13 to engage the member 12 when the winding 22 is not sufiiciently energized. As here illirstrated, the winding receives energy that is proportional to the voltage of the distributing circuit,-and, therefore, vibrates the member 13 in accordance with variations of said volt-age, but it will be understood that the connections may be so made, if desired, that the position of the member 13 will be varied in accordance with any other selected electrical condition. The contact terminal 12 is preferably resiliently mounted as by being secured to the free end of a plate spring. I

In the operation of the regulator, the contact terminal 18 is moved into and out of. engagement with the terminal 12, in accord ance with variations of the voltage or another selected electrical condition -of the distributing circuit, and the relay contacts 10 and 18 are accordingly moved into and out of engagement with the contacts 9 and 17 respectively, so as to alternately establish and interrupt shunt circuits to the resistors 8 and 19. The regul tor tends, through the relay contact terminals 9 and 10, to vary the field excitation of the exciter so as to compensate for voltage or other changes in the distributing circuit. However, because of the inductances of the eXciter and main generator field circuits, the changes of the voltage of the main generator would notoccur with sufiicient promptness if it were not for the provision of the resistor 19 and the relay for opening and closing a shunt circuit thereto. By reason of the opening and closing of the shunt circuit to the resistor 19, changes in the voltage of the main generator are not entirely dependent upon changes of the field strength of the excitcr, but are effected partially and more promptly by the changes of the resistance and current of by the dash pot 18, the changes of the effecing hunting of the exclter are also caused to assume tive resistance of the generator field circuit do not occur as quickly as the changes of the resistance of the exciter field circuit,

values closely approximating those necessary to maintain the generator voltage at its proper value. lVide fluctuations and hunt ing of the voltage are thereby avoided, and the regulation is prompt and effective.

, The system of Fig. 2 is similar to that of Fig. 1 except for the addition of means for automatically adjusting the amount of the resistance oii the resistor 8 in accordance withthe value of the exciter voltage, the said means comprising a plurality of relay switches 25, 26 and 27 that are closed in succession as the'exciter voltage rises, thereby successively shunting portions of the resister 8. As here shown the respective relay actuating windings are of gradually increasing numbers of turns to provide for the successive closure of the switches, and are -ted in series between the exciter terthough any other suitable means may be employed for securing the same result. By the use of these relays, the fluctuations oi voltage during the operation of the regulator are reduced, since at the higher field excitations, where the fluctuations are otherwise most noticeable, the amount of resistance in the exciter field circuit, which resistance is periodically shunted, is lessened.

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination with an electrical circuit, a dynamo-electric machine associated therewith, an exciter for the dynamo-electric machine, and resistors in circuit with the field magnet windings respectively of the dynamo-electric machine and of the exciter, of a regulator for the dynamo-electric machine comprising means responsive in operation to variations of an electrical condition of said circuit, and mcanscontrolled by the aforesaid means for shunting the said resistors.

2. The combination with an electrical circuit, a dynan'io-electric machine associated therewith, and an exeiter for the dynamoelectric machine, of a regulator for the dynamo-electric machine comprising means responsive inoperation to variations of an electrical condition oi? said circuit for governing the resistances of the field. circuits of both the exciter and dyinimo-electric machine, the means for governing the resistance of the field circuit of the dynamo-electric machine being retarded in its operation.

3. The combination With an electrical circult, a dynamo-electric machine associated therewith, an eXciter for the dynamo-electric machine, and resistors in circuit respectively-with the field magnetwindings of the dynamo-electric machine and the exciter, of

a regulator for the dynamo-electric machine comprising cooperating contact members actuated in response to variations of an electrical condition of said circuit, and relay mechanism controlled thereby for governing the effectiveness of the said resistors.

4:. The combination with an electrical circult, a dynamo electr1c machine associated therewith, an eXciter for the dynamo-electric machine, and resistors in circuit respectively with the field magnet windings of the dynamo-electric machine and the exciter, of a regulator or the dynamo-electric machine comprising cooperating contact 35 members actuated in response to variations of an electrical condition of said circuit, and relay devices controlled thereby respectively for governing the effectiveness of the said resistors, one of said devices being retarded in its operation.

5. The combination with an electrical circuit, a dynamo-electric machine associated therewith, an eXciter for the dynamo-electric machine, and resistors in circuit respectively with the field magnet windings of the dynamo-electric machine and the cxciter, the resistance of the resistor in the field circuit of the dynamo-electric machine being but a small portion of the total resistance of the'said circuit, of a regulator for the dynamo-electric machine comprising means responsive in operation to variations of an electrical condition of said circuit for governing the effectiveness of the said resistors.

(3. The combination with an electrical circuit, a dynamo-elcctric machine, an eXciter for the dynan'lo-electric machine, and resistors in circuit respectively with the field magnet windings of the dynamo-electricmachine and the exciter, of a regulator for the dynamo-electric machine comprising means responsive in operation to variations of an electrical condition of said circuit for controlling the cll'ectiveness of the said resistors.

7. The combination with an electrical circuit, a dynamo-electric machine associated therewith, and an cxciter for the dynan'ioelectric machine, of means for adjusting the terrupting a shunt circuit to the-said reslstor 1n accordance -with varlatlons ofan electrlcal eondltlon of sand circuit, and 1 means for separately adjusting the value of said resistor in' accordance .with variations of the exciter voltage.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto Witnesses subicribed my name this 3rd day bf October,

ALLEN A. TIRRILL.

Ono S. SCHAIRER,

INES.

(Mile! of thin patent may be obtained for in cents each, by addressing the Ccmmissioner of Patents, Y Washington, D, 0. 

